If spring cleaning includes getting rid of your old refrigerator or brightening up a room, we’ve got some ideas for you. Chelan PUD is offering rebates for energy-efficiency upgrades on several products for your home.

Items and the rebate amounts are:

• LED downlight retrofit kits, $25
• Electric storage water heaters, $25-$125
• Clothes washers, $30-$75
• Refrigerators and freezers, $50
• Line voltage zoned thermostats, $115
• Heat pump water heaters, $300-$500

All ENERGY STAR refrigerators, freezers and clothes washers are eligible. Rebate amounts for some products vary based on the energy-efficiency of the model selected.

Find complete information on the program here.

The program offers quick turn-around of 7 to 10 business days if you elect to receive a check, or if you choose the new Tango Card, you can redeem it immediately for your choice of gift cards at 17 premier retailers such as Amazon, Starbucks and Home Depot. Or you can donate your rebate to your choice of eight charities such as Habitat for Humanity.

Find the details here.

P.S. Recycle your old refrigerator or freezer for free and get a $30 rebate from the PUD. Find out how.

Chelan’s Riverwalk Park will host the community’s 24th annual Earth Day Fair on Saturday, April 20, while Lions Club Park in Leavenworth is the site of the Life2 Earth Day Community Fair on Sunday, April 21.

The Chelan fair runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Count on displays about composting, green building, recycling, renewable energy, land conservation, energy conservation, electric vehicles and emergency preparedness. There’s plenty to do and see, including a garden center, flea market, arts and crafts for kids, food booths, music and entertainment. The event is sponsored by the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce, KOZI Radio,  Chelan County PUD and 509 State of Mind.

Leavenworth’s event, called “Sustainability and the Pursuit of Happiness,” focuses on good food and good health.  A Farmers Market showcase will make mouths water for upcoming local harvests while local eateries satisfy on-the-spot cravings. The Leavenworth Lions will offer health screenings. Meander through the park to find many more options including hands-on activities, informational displays and live music by “Hybrid Vibe and Recycled Rhythm.”

In the event of heavy rain, the fair will take place under cover at Osborn Elementary School, 225 Central Avenue, Leavenworth. Phone (509) 548-0181 for more fair information.

Get your ducts in a row to save energy and money

Here’s one offer that ISN’T too good to be true: Chelan County PUD is offering free duct inspection and sealing to owners and tenants of manufactured homes using electric forced-air furnaces or heat pumps.

A typical manufactured home leaks up to 30 percent of its heated (or cooled) air into the crawl space. That’s why the energy-saving program is being offered to customers, noted Mark Wiser, senior residential energy adviser for the PUD.

A contractor, e-Star Northwest, is doing the work and is now taking appointments. You can schedule an appointment by calling (509) 860-5045.

Services include:

• Testing your ductwork using the latest pressure diagnostic equipment and technology.

• Sealing air leaks in your ductwork.

• Inspecting and sealing crossover duct and connections, and replacing if necessary. There is no fee to replace leaky or damaged crossovers.

• Certifying your duct system. Even if no problems are found, which is rare, you can be assured your system meets the highest standards.

Heating and cooling systems consume nearly half of the energy used in the home. By addressing any leaks in the duct system, you can minimize heating and cooling costs, and ensure ductwork is installed to the highest level of performance for home comfort and energy savings.

Note: Technicians will need access to your furnace and all heat registers. Allow approximately three hours for work to be completed. Also, customers using combustion appliances (wood stoves, fireplaces, gas range, etc.) will be required to install a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm in order to qualify for the service. Fires must be out two hours prior to appointment. e-Star NW can provide the first CO alarm for free or you can purchase one and have it installed at no charge.

Questions? Call the PUD at (509) 661-8008.

Jim White talks to Wenatchee fourth-graders about how energy from the sun can power cars and more.

Chelan PUD’s Jim White earns statewide award

Around the office, we think of engineer Jim White as something of a wizard. Now the state has recognized him as a science champion.

White, an indefatigable advocate for solar power and renewable energy,  received the  Science Education Advocate Award from the state LASER program — Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform. The award recognizes outstanding individuals who have exhibited exceptional support and advocacy for science education in Washington.

White, a senior energy conservation engineer, has been with Chelan PUD for 15 years. He developed the PUD’s Sustainable Natural Alternative Power (SNAP) program which led the way for small-scale solar installations in the state. He conceived and built a zero-energy trailer used to demonstrate renewable energy and energy efficiency at public events; the trailer is now used by instructors at Shoreline College. 

White built a solar go-kart in his garage which was test-driven by his own children before White used it to visit fourth-grade classrooms as a fun teaching aid. He helped Wenatchee High School students build and race a real solar dragster, and last year led students at Cashmere Middle School in a project to build and race Barbie-doll-size solar cars. He helped a  friend, Marcelo da Luz, drive the  Xof1 solar car over the longest ice road in the world to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, where the car was used to teach native school children about renewable energy.

He is a sought-after presenter at Earth Day celebrations and school science fairs. When he’s not busy with renewable energy, he’s busy as a Boy Scout leader and volunteer at numerous community projects.

“My hope is that science education in Washington will teach us all how to survive and thrive, without destroying the natural beauty that surrounds us,” White said. When working with children, his goal has always been to make science fun.

To that end, White built a solar popcorn popper and a solar-operated splash fountain. What kid can resist a chance to splash in a fountain on a warm summer day?

The award is given annually to individuals, organizations or projects that show enthusiastic support for science education. Four individuals and one organization received awards this year.

Each received $5,000, to be awarded to the not-for-profit public education entity of their choice. White designated his award for the North Central Educational Service District to buy about 150 reusable solar car kits for classrooms.

The  reward and recognition program are funded by Boeing.

LASER is a public/private partnership launched in 1999. The Washington State LASER partnership is led by the Strategic Programs Division of Pacific Science Center in Seattle and the Office of Science & Engineering Education at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

White talks about the importance of science education on the LASER website here.

Heating and cooling  no longer make up the majority of home energy use

Last week the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that space heating and cooling now account for less than half of energy consumption in U.S. homes. Forty-eight percent of energy consumption in U.S. homes in 2009 was for heating and cooling, down from 58 percent in 1993. “Factors underpinning this trend are increased adoption of more efficient equipment, better insulation, more efficient windows, and population shifts to warmer climates,” the report states.

More proof that upgrading insulation and installing new windows saves energy while improving the comfort of a home.  And more reason for Chelan PUD to promote its program offering rebates on insulation and windows.

While energy used for space conditioning has declined, energy consumption for appliances and electronics continues to rise, the report notes. Although some appliances that are subject to federal efficiency standards, such as refrigerators and clothes washers, have become more efficient, the increased number of devices that consume energy in homes has offset these efficiency gains, EIA states. Non-weather-related energy use for appliances, electronics, water heating and lighting now accounts for 52 percent of total consumption, up from 42 percent in 1993.

Chelan County PUD will begin offering rebates on energy-efficient appliances in April 2013.

The shift in how energy is consumed in homes has occurred even as per-household energy consumption has steadily declined, the report notes. Read a report summary here.